• FIWARE Digital Innovation Hubs (FIWARE iHubs) break traditional barriers for technology enablement and business acceleration with the usage of Open Source technologies and standards, and access to a broader and international network;
• By becoming FIWARE iHubs, organizations expand the potential for local businesses and further disseminate FIWARE technologies; 
• With the new joiners, the FIWARE iHubs network reaches roughly 25 on a global scale.

Berlin, September 30, 2020  — FIWARE Foundation, the non-profit organization that drives the definition and encourages the adoption of open standards — implemented using Open Source technologies and reference architectures — to ease the development of smart digital solutions across multiple domains, announces today the opening of four new Digital Innovation Hubs (FIWARE iHubs), of which two are based in Athens (Greece) and further two in Germany (Wolfsburg and Monheim am Rhein). 

Serving as innovation engines, FIWARE iHubs focus on fostering and accelerating new businesses, and building communities that, in turn, enable local digital businesses to thrive not only at a regional but on a global level as well. They support companies, cities, and developers in their innovation and digitalisation journey by offering easy access to Open Source technologies, business development support, and community building. 

When looking into becoming more competitive in the current digital economy, the main challenge faced by companies, research institutions, public administrations and cities in general is the lack of resources to access disruptive technologies and solutions, digital tools and the relevant network. By breaking the traditional barriers for technology enablement and business acceleration with the usage of Open Source technologies and standards, FIWARE iHubs encourage the development of scalable, interoperable and disruptive smart digital solutions across many domains to accelerate businesses, increase competitiveness and facilitate the diversification of local economies. 

By facilitating the collaboration between scientific research and private businesses, the access to training and mentoring, and fostering entrepreneurship culture, among many other benefits, FIWARE iHubs optimize existing resources, whilst nurturing the path for new ones to flourish. 

Think global, act local 

The new joiners to the FIWARE iHubs network span a range of industries and concrete offers:

• ASTRID (Wolfsburg, Germany): A joint initiative between Stadtwerke Wolfsburg AG and Wobcom, the iHub aims to turn the region into a preferred investment hub for technology companies, while also reaffirming North Germany as a premier ICT location. In close collaboration with relevant technology partners, the initiative seeks to secure a set of key enablers to nurture an attractive Open Source ecosystem for targeted investments, for instance, talent, infrastructure, R&D institutions and platforms, incentives and funding, networks, broadband access and liveability;
  
• Ideas Forum Innovation Hub (Monheim am Rhein, Germany): Initially created as an association of different organisations, the iHub will be coordinated by Umagine, a FIWARE member. The iHub focuses on Smart Cities, Smart Energy, CEF Building Blocks, and Smart Mobility. Driven by a firm belief in an open source culture, the initiative aims to provide public administrations and developers with useful knowledge and information on how to use FIWARE technology and what references they should look at when planning and developing their applications;
  
• Hellenic FIWARE iHub (Athens, Greece): With a focus on Smart AgriFood, Smart Cities, Smart Industry and Smart Infrastructure, the iHub aims to increase the local demand of FIWARE solutions, through dissemination and communication activities. It leverages local individuals’ and ICT companies technical knowledge and deep understanding of the FIWARE tools. The iHub also incentivizes the delivery of interoperable FIWARE-based solutions that will digitally transform the local SME/ industry ecosystem and heavily impact the modernization of the regional public sector; 
  
• Uni FIWARE iHub (Athens, Greece): Spearheaded by FIWARE member Uni Systems, a company providing integrated solutions and value added services since 1964, the iHub is a member of the Pleiades IoT Innovation Cluster and focuses on IoT, Smart Living, Smart Cities, Smart Industries, Smart EnvironmentS, Smart Tourism, Smart Energy, drones. The iHub vision is to be a place where companies, especially SMEs and startups have access to technology, testing environments, financial consulting, market intelligence, networking opportunities, and business planning.

“By offering FIWARE technology and access to our global ecosystem — no other iHub network has this competitive advantage — FIWARE strengthens the iHubs’ ability to support innovation on a local level. On top of the technology, the iHubs also offer the content, business growth skills, and collaboration experiences that communities need to evolve. Moreover, their arrival reflects how much stronger and international our iHubs network is becoming. New locations are soon opening, from Cairo to India to Greece to Germany.”

Further locations are scheduled to open in the coming months, amounting to roughly 25 FIWARE iHubs globally. To learn more, visit the website. 

Together with its members and partners, FIWARE Foundation drives the definition — and the Open Source implementation — of key open standards that enable the development of portable and interoperable smart solutions in a faster, easier and affordable way, avoiding vendor lock-in scenarios, whilst also nurturing FIWARE as a sustainable and innovation-driven business ecosystem. The Foundation achieves that through the support of a fast-growing global community that shares a common vision and combines their efforts toward making FIWARE the Open Source technology of choice for industries, governments, universities and associations to reach their full potential and scale up their activities, thereby, entering new markets and growing their businesses. Founded in 2016, the foundation has Atos, Engineering, NEC, Red Hat, Telefónica and Trigyn Technologies among its Platinum members. For further information, visit fiware.org and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Youtube. 

Press Contact: Val De Oliveira: valdirene.deoliveira@fiware.org